Newt Scamander and the League of Secrets
by Clairely99
Summary: Newt Scamander returns to New York to reunite with his friends, but what he discovers there is not what he expected.
1. The Invitation

Chapter One

The Invitation

Newt Scamander strode through the snow blanketing the ground in Hogsmeade. He pushed open the door to the Three Broomsticks and sat on the edge of a chair near the door. A waitress came to ask him for his order, and without looking up, he mumbled, "just tea, please. Thank you. A little milk, sorry. Thank you." He was visibly shaking, and he couldn't concentrate. Soon enough, the tea was in front of him, slightly pale with milk, and he held it in his trembling hands. He sipped it gingerly, feeling the warmth spread through his body. Gradually, he steadied, and he pulled his suitcase onto the table. He flicked it to "muggle-worthy," opened it, and pulled out the letter. It was from Tina. The first page was an invitation; a cream-colored thing with blue lettering and a lace trim.

 _You are cordially invited_ , it said, _to the marriage of Ms. Porpentina Goldstein and Mr. Bertram Wilkes, to take place on the 23_ _rd_ _of March in Central Park, New York, New York. Please RSVP to the bride by the thirtieth of January._

Attached was a note written in Tina's own hand. Newt could scarcely bear to look at it.

 _My dear Newt, please, please come to the wedding. I know this might not be what you were expecting, but it's wonderful. He's wonderful, really. If not for me, come for Queenie and Jacob. The remedy you suggested worked wonders for Jacob, and he misses you truly. We all do._

He crumpled it in his fist and then, regretting it, smoothed the note out on the table again. He placed it neatly back in the envelope and put his head in his hands. She was getting married. To someone who wasn't him. He knew it'd been awhile, in the neighborhood of a year and a half, but he didn't expect her to forget him so quickly. But she _hadn't_ forgotten him, that was the worst part. When they were still writing frequently, she'd explained that she'd met Bertram because of the "debacle" with Newt's "creatures." Or, at least, that was when they'd grown close. She hadn't abandoned Newt and come back married, she'd made him watch as she met a new man, courted him, as he proposed. It hadn't even occurred to her that Newt might've wanted to marry her until it was too late. He wondered if she'd sat up nights wondering if he was ever going to come back for her, the way he'd sat up nights wishing he could, or if she'd just jumped right in with this new fellow. He wondered if he'd broken her heart. Maybe he'd driven her to Bertram in more ways than one. This time, he really did crumple the note, and he tossed it into the fire burning beside him.

"Something else for you, dear?" the waitress asked, standing a respectful distance away.

"No, thank you, I'd best be going. How much for the tea?"

"For you, Newt? It's on the house."

"Thank you very much. Most appreciated." He did his best to smile as he opened the door again and stepped out into the cold.


	2. The Journey

Chapter Two

The journey.

Even though he was heartbroken, Newt knew he had to go to New York to be there for Tina. Like she said, he needed to see Jacob again, and of course Queenie, though honestly he found her a bit intimidating. She knew more about him, he felt, than he knew about himself, and she wasn't afraid of asking questions. Suddenly, Newt found himself temped to call up Leta Lestrange, see what she was up to these days, if she'd like to travel to New York for a wedding. He knew he couldn't do that, he never really would, but it'd be satisfying in a sick sort of way to see Tina's face as he walked into her wedding with Leta on his arm. She didn't like to read, though, in answer to Tina's question, and that was just one of her problems.

This whole mental exchange left Newt feeling thoroughly ashamed of himself. There was a time when he considered Porpentina his best friend, and he knew that whatever bitterness he felt towards her at the moment, she would always be a good friend and he would always regret it if he skipped her wedding out of some sort of spite. He'd need to arrange care for his creatures, of course, he didn't want another incident like the one that had occurred the last time he'd been in the states. He wondered if, perhaps, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts would be up for the job, but somehow he doubted it. Maybe he'd better just take it with him and be more careful this time.

Two days later, Newt stood onboard a steam ship bound for America, his case by his side. It was tied shut with sturdy twine, and it was muggle-worthy for now. He'd have to open it at least once every two days to care for his animals, but other than that he was determined to keep it shut. At least this time, Jacob, Tina, and Queenie would be helping him, rather than hindering him and causing disasters. He was excited to see his friends again, although he was slightly disappointed at the circumstances.

Every time he thought of the impending wedding, Newt wanted to kick himself. He was too timid, he knew that. He should've asked her to go with him, or he should've come back more often. He should've hand-delivered her copy of his book, the way he'd promised. He shouldn't have let her stay there without him, thinking of him only when she wrote him letters. He should've made sure she couldn't forget him. Maybe if he'd been there, she would be changing her name to Porpentina Scamander instead of Porpentina Wilkes. Though he never would've married her in March, it was much too cold. Perhaps he'd have married her in his case, they could've taken Jacob and Queenie and someone from MACUSA who could marry them. The mooncalf nest was lovely, the way the moonlight shone on it. That would've been beautiful. He knew Tina would look stunning in whatever she wore, she wouldn't have had to wear white if she'd not wanted to.

Lost in thought, Newt leaned on the rail of the ship, and so failed to notice when another man stood next to him. He was tall, this man, and he had a beard and a hat. There were broken glasses tucked into the pocket of his ill-fitting pinstripe vest and his pants sagged a little, but he carried himself with dignity, a pride bordering on pompous. He glanced at Newt and seemed to lock on; he began carefully studying the smaller man. His eyes didn't seem to miss anything as they icily examined his every feature. After a moment, he leaned back and began surveying the ship in a much more casual manner.

"The states?" he asked, pulling Newt from his thoughts. His voice was smooth and posh.

"Oh, yes, right. New York."

"Business or pleasure?"

"Neither."

"Are you on the run?"

"Oh, heavens, no," Newt was taken aback. "No, I'm going to a wedding."

"I think that'd count as pleasure, then, yes?"

"Well, no, not in… not in this case." Newt turned, trying to leave the awkward conversation.

"Do you like the couple, then? Who's getting married?"

"I suppose so, the bride's an… old friend."

"And you wish she were marrying you instead of the other fellow?"

"You're very astute."

"You're a man crossing the Atlantic for a wedding, but you wouldn't count it as pleasure. It wasn't that difficult. I'm Ezekiel. Ezekiel Nordquist." He turned from gazing at the ship to stick his hand out for Newt to shake.

"Newt. Newt Scamander."

"Pleased to meet you, Newt. I'm headed to New York on business, myself."

"What sort, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Not at all, not at all. I'm something of a consultant. A politician in New York needs some… consulting."

"Oh, well, that… sounds interesting."

"It is."

"I think… perhaps I'd better head back to my room, sorry. It's been… interesting."

"Indeed, it has. Perhaps we shall see each other again."

"Maybe." Newt ducked his head and tried his best to blend in with the crowd as he walked away. He could not shake the ill feeling that was crawling up his spine, as though he'd just teetered on the edge of a very high precipice. He was so intent on getting away that he did not notice the man behind him flicking his wand back into his coat.


	3. The Arrival

Chapter Three

The Arrival

After nearly four days' journey, the ship finally pulled in to port in New York City. Not wanting to look suspicious, Newt removed the twine from his suitcase and stuffed it into his pocket. He double-checked to make sure that, when opened, his suitcase would reveal only clothing and sundries, and then he joined the queue forming to disembark from the ship. Just behind him was Ezekiel. Newt felt his palms begin to sweat. He'd avoided most contact with Ezekiel since the first day on the ship, but it was a relatively small craft and their quarters were near each other so, inevitably, they'd run into each other on a few occasions. Ezekiel always made small talk and asked more personal questions than Newt was comfortable answering, and Newt always replied minimally and timidly, hoping that eventually Ezekiel would catch on and leave him alone.  
He met with no such luck, of course.

"Hello, Newt," Ezekiel said, and Newt barely withheld an audible sigh.

"Hello, Ezekiel."

"I suppose this is where we say goodbye." The taller man sighed.

"I suppose it is." Replied Newt, sounding much more upbeat about the matter.

"Maybe I'll see you around the city, though."

"Well, it's a big city."

"True, but still. It's possible."

Newt felt vaguely threatened, as though Ezekiel was implying that he _knew_ they were going to be encountering each other. In lieu of replying, he shrugged his shoulders and stepped forward as the line advanced.

"You're not very talkative, are you?" The man asked, stepping closer to Newt. He leaned forward and barely whispered into the redhead's ear, "I bet you're a Hufflepuff."

Newt's spine stiffened, and his heart began pounding.

"Sorry, what was that?" he queried, trying to look innocent as he turned to face the tall man.

"A Hufflepuff." Ezekiel repeated, quietly. "I was a Gryffindor, myself. Of course, that was probably before your time."

"I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about." Newt tried to continue in line, but Ezekiel closed the distance once again.

"You think I don't recognize you, Mr. Scamander?" he asked, his breath sending a shudder through Newt's limbs. "You think I don't recognize that suitcase?"

"I'm afraid I still haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about, Mr. Nordquist."

"It was in all the papers, and you thought you could just slip by under my radar?" Newt breathed a sigh of relief as he felt solid ground under his shoes and saw that he was near the end of the line.

"I didn't intend to slip by anything." Newt said, truthfully. "I'm not a spy, I'm just going to my friend's wedding."

"That'd be Ms. Goldstein, then? A real shame, Newt, I was rooting for you."

"How did you—" Ezekiel cut Newt off with a gentle nudge towards the gate and stepped to the side, to a gate of his own, and just like that, he was gone.

Newt stepped forward, placed his suitcase on the table, opened it, and was waved through. He scanned the dispersing crowd and spotted Queenie and Jacob standing near a pillar. He stepped towards them, mustering up all his cheer and focusing his thoughts on anything but the strange man from the boat. He couldn't have Queenie catching wind of what was up, it would be too much for her to keep to herself and he didn't want to worry anyone. Though he was remarkably shaken up by the encounter, he made himself think only of the people standing in front of him, focusing on every detail of their features. Jacob quickly closed the space between them, letting go of Queenie's hand and barreling towards Newt. He swept him up in a huge embrace, nearly smashing the slight man in between his beefy arms. Newt gasped for breath and weakly patted Jacob's shoulder, which was the only part of him he could reach with his arms so crushed by Jacob's. After a moment, Jacob set him down, and Newt could see that there were tears in the man's eyes.

"I've missed you, Newt. I've really missed you. Ever since Queenie slipped me that potion – thank you so much for that, by the way – I've been looking forward to this moment. It is so good to see you."

"It's lovely to see you, Jacob. I'm so glad it worked."

"Me, too. Don't get me wrong, I was in love with Queenie even without having my memories back, but I don't know how I thought my life was interesting when I didn't have memories of you in it, and the creatures…" he trailed off. "You didn't bring the creatures with you this time, did you?"

"Well…" Newt shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I did, actually. But I'm going to be a lot more careful, and we're not going to swap cases this time. I'm not letting it out of my sight." He pulled the twine from his pocket and knotted it tightly around the case.

"Hello, Newt," a delicate voice said from the side. Newt turned and grinned at Queenie.

"Hi," he said, hugging her gently. She kissed his cheek and ran a hand through his hair.

"You're tired, sweetie! You haven't showered in so long. Come on, let's get you home." Suddenly, a sad look crossed her face. "I know, honey. I was expecting her to marry you, too." She put a hand on his arm and took Jacob's hand in her other one, and the three proceeded down the street together.


	4. The Stranger

Chapter Four

The Stranger

Newt and his compatriots arrived at Tina and Queenie's flat in the city after a short cab ride. Newt stood upright, clutching his case, as Jacob stumbled out and helped Queenie disembark. The two men stood behind Queenie as she unlocked the door and started up the stairs. Jacob followed her, and Newt took up the rear, casting a glance out the door before shutting it behind him. Jacob stopped so suddenly that Newt almost crashed into him. He was about to ask why the man came to such a sudden halt when he heard a voice from in front of Queenie.

"Is that you, Queenie?" Suddenly Newt remembered Mrs. Esposito, the landlady who insisted that the Goldsteins not have men over.

"Yes, Mrs. Esposito!"

"Are you alone?"

"Always, Mrs. Esposito." She trotted on past the door and gestured for the men to follow her. They did so as quietly as they could, and Jacob pointed out the noisy floorboards to Newt as they passed.

They reached the door to the Goldstein's apartment after a couple more flights of stairs, and Queenie pushed open the door. Newt looked around expectantly. Queenie glanced at him.

"She's not here, honey. With the wedding so close she spends every spare second with Bertram these days. She comes back pretty late, but she'll be here. She'll be so glad to see you." She paused for a second. "Oh, honey, don't think that. Of course, she will." Newt frowned slightly and glanced to the side.

"You and Jacob can stay in the guest room." She gestured to the room where Newt had briefly stayed before traipsing across New York to find his creatures the last time he was in the states. "That okay with you, honey?" she asked, looking at Jacob, who nodded.

"Do you want me to start dinner, babe?" Jacob asked Queenie.

"Sure! That'd be nice. I'll be there in a minute. I just want to talk to Newt." Jacob nodded and smiled, turning his back and heading towards the kitchen. Queenie approached Newt, who had crossed to the window.

"What's wrong, hon?" she asked. "You've got something on your mind. Your thoughts, they're… swirling. You're trying not to think about something."

"I don't think it's appropriate that I talk about this. I shouldn't worry you."

"Newt." Queen said, firmly, placing a hand on his arm. "I know I might not look like much, but I can handle it. I've been through some things of my own, you know." Newt scowled and looked down.

"I know," he replied, "I'm sorry. I just don't quite know what's up." He glanced out the window and, to his shock, saw Ezekiel standing on the street below. Newt sprung back, flattening himself against the wall.

"No…" he sighed, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Oh, no." Queenie gasped, and Newt realized that he'd thought about the man on the boat, and that Queenie thus knew about him. "How strange. We've got to find a way to tell Tina. He could be dangerous, and we don't want her running into him."

"Well, he's definitely following me. I see that now. We've got to figure out what he's up to. Could you…" he hesitated, unsure if he should be asking what he was about to ask. "Could you… read his thoughts?"

"Not from this far away, honey, and I'd rather not get close."

"You're right, we've got to warn Tina. Is she coming back tonight?"

"She should be." Queenie nodded.

"Can you send an owl?" Newt asked. He knew there was a risk that the man outside the window would see it and shoot it down, but it was possible that he wouldn't.

"Yeah," Queenie said, heading towards a room that Newt hadn't yet seen. She opened the door, and he realized it was her bedroom. Near the window, in a gold cage, was a beautiful barn owl.

"Hello!" Newt said excitedly, crossing the room and gazing at the magnificent bird.

"That's Skip. You can give him a treat, if you want," Queenie offered, gesturing to a tray of pellets next to the cage. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. Newt eagerly picked a pellet out of the drawer and held it through the bars of the cage. The owl hopped off his perch and approached the wall, looking up at Newt with wide eyes.

"Hello, little fellow," Newt sighed. "is he blind?" He asked, noting the cloudiness in the bird's eyes.

"Almost. But he's young, and he can still get around. He's a good bird."

"Of course, he is." Newt ran a finger over Skip's soft breast feathers. "He's lovely."

"Can you get him out? I've written a note." Newt nodded, released the cage door, and let the owl hop out onto his arm. Newt smiled and stroked the bird under his wings and on his back. Queenie tied the note to the bird's leg while Skip nibbled on Newt's finger.

"I know, isn't he just adorable?" Queenie remarked, taking skip on her arm and crossing to the window. She opened it and released Skip into the cold evening air.

"Newt?" She asked, gesturing for him to come over. Newt stood beside her, and she pointed to the street below. Ezekiel was gone, and in his place was a brown package.

"Should we…" Queenie shook her head.

"We can't open it. Tina knows to be careful."

"We have to tell Ja—" Newt stopped talking as, on the street, the package began to shake. "Queenie, get down." He said, quickly closing the window and ducking.

"Jacob, get down!" He shouted, and from the kitchen he heard a _thump_ which he hoped was Jacob hitting the floor. Suddenly, just as he'd thought, there was a loud explosion on the street outside. The bedroom window shattered and the house shook. Newt felt something hot running down the side of his face, as the air was filled with heat and the sound of Queenie's screams.


End file.
